- Choose fonts purposely developed for Arabic screen reading (like GE SS) rather than traditional print fonts
- Increase line height by 150-175% for 360 digital Agency enhanced readability
- Use right-justified text (never middle-aligned for primary copy)
- Stay away from condensed Arabic text styles that diminish the unique letter structures
As someone who has developed over 30 Arabic websites in the recent years, I can assure you that applying Western UX principles to Arabic interfaces fails miserably. The distinctive elements of Arabic script and Saudi user preferences require a specialized approach.
Recently, a entrepreneur inquired why his content weren't generating any business opportunities. After analyzing his publishing plan, I found he was making the same errors I see numerous Saudi businesses commit.
At a business gathering in Riyadh, I questioned 17 company managers about their website creation experiences. The cost variation was surprising – from 2,500 SAR for a simple site to over 150,000 SAR for advanced e-commerce platforms.
I remember the astonishment on my brother-in-law's face when he received a quote for seventy-five thousand SAR for his company website. "It's just a site!" he shouted. Two months later, he eventually with a bargain 3,000 SAR site that was visually disappointing and failed to generate a single lead.
For a financial customer, we implemented a responsive interface framework that intelligently adjusted controls, fonts, and structure based on the active language, producing a forty-two percent growth in user engagement.
I spend at least two hours each regularly reviewing our competitors':
- Online organization and user experience
- Articles and posting schedule
- Social media engagement
- User feedback and ratings
- Search tactics and rankings
A few weeks ago, I was helping a prominent e-commerce company that had invested over 200,000 SAR on a stunning website that was performing terribly. The reason? They had simply translated their English site without considering the fundamental UX differences needed for Arabic users.
Recently, a merchant mentioned that their newsletter campaigns were creating poor outcomes with open rates below 8%. After applying the strategies I'm about to share, their open rates jumped to 37% and purchases improved by 218%.
In my latest project for a investment company in Riyadh digital marketing services, we discovered that users were repeatedly selecting the wrong navigation items. Our behavior analysis showed that their eyes naturally moved from right to left, but the important navigation items were positioned with a left-to-right hierarchy.
I toured a web design company in Jeddah last month where they displayed me the difference between their template-based and unique projects. The aesthetic difference was clearly visible – the unique sites appeared unmistakably more refined and distinctive.
- Position the most critical content in the right upper section of the viewport
- Organize information segments to progress from right to left and top to bottom
- Use heavier visual emphasis on the right side of symmetrical compositions
- Verify that indicating icons (such as arrows) point in the right direction for RTL designs
Start by identifying ALL your rivals – not just the major ones. Throughout our analysis, we found that our biggest rival wasn't the established brand we were monitoring, but a emerging startup with an unique model.
-
Restructured the form flow to align with right-to-left thinking processes
-
Developed a Arabic-English input mechanism with automatic language changing
-
Enhanced touch interfaces for thumb-based Arabic typing
-
Realigning action buttons to the right-hand portion of forms and pages
-
Reconsidering content prioritization to move from right to left
-
Adapting user controls to match the right-to-left scanning pattern
An acquaintance who runs a eatery in Riyadh initially hesitated at the added 12,000 SAR for an online reservation system, but subsequently shared me it recovered its cost within a quarter by reducing personnel resources spent on phone reservations.
My family member Mohammed originally selected the cheapest quote for his company website, only to realize later that it excluded content development – adding an additional 8,000 SAR charge for quality text development.
As opposed to concentrating exclusively on finding the lowest rate, think about the possible results that a superior website will deliver for your business. A properly developed site is an investment that will keep generating returns for years to come.
With extensive testing for a clothing brand, we found that messages delivered between evening hours dramatically surpassed those sent during standard working periods, achieving substantially higher readership.
Recently, my colleague Hessa obtained quotes ranging from 22,000 to 58,000 SAR for essentially the same corporate website. The difference? The pricier quotes contained bespoke design features rather than themed solutions.